Joomla 1.5 best must have module component
extensions to install on every new Joomla based website /
Recommended joomla plugins on fresh joomla installs
joomla install
These days very often I have to install, plain new Joomla based
websites. I've realized that since there is no structured guide to
follow describing the most essential plugins that every new fresh
new joomla installation is required to have.
Thus I took the time and wrote this post, as it will be useful to
myself in my future new joomla based websites establishment, I also
believe these guide will be useful to other Joomla enthusiasts or
administrators in their daily work.
Below I will describe in short the installation, configuration and
oddities I've faced during installment of the above described
bundle of plugins on a plan Joomla 1.5 install. These article will
walk through 12 joomla essential plugins that I believe every fresh
Joomla installation should be equipped with.
Hope this guide will be helpful to you. Now let's start it
up:
1. JoomlaXplorer - A sophisticated web file explorer for
Joomla One of the most basic plugins, one might benefit with a
new joomla CMS is
Joomla Xptplorer . This module enables the
joomla admin to browse files in a web file explorer, on the server
where the joomla CMS is installed. Below you see how handy the
joomla web explorer provided by the plugin is:
Installing and using the plugin is a piece of cake. To install the
plugin:
a.
download Joomla file Xplorer from here or from the official
plugin website.
b. Install the plugin through the admin joomla menu:
Extensions -> Install/Uninstall
c. Start using the newly installed plugin by following to
menus:
Components -> eXtplorer
2. JCrawler Generate easily sitemap.xml to aim the overall
Joomla website SEO optimization I have previously written a
very through tutorial on how to install configure and generate
website sitemap with
Jcrawler module, You can read my
article titled:
How to build website sitemap.xml in Joomla here
3. sh404SEF - Make your Joomla links and content more user
friendly sh404SEF is a great Joomla plugin, which will
seriously improve SEO and could contribute well for a website to be
better indexed with major search engines.
I have previously written an article describing thoroughfully the
install and use procedures for the module.
You can read the article
Making your Joomla URLS Google friendly with sh404sef plugin /
Simple Joomla link SEO here
4. Akeeba Backup Joomla solution Installing a joomla backup
solution is very essential if you does take care about your data,
it often happens that server hard disk got crashes or a RAID
massives got corrupted or some kind of other unexpected disaster
hits the server. In these terrible times, having a website backup
will save you nerves and data recovery funds, not to mention that
in many cases data recovery is impossible.
Joomla has a very easy to use software for creating full website
backup called
Akeeba Backup
To start using the software one must:
a.
Download Akeeba Backup and install it via:
Extensions -> Install/Uninstall
After the
Akeeba Backup installation is over, to create your
first backup, one needs to navigate to:
Components -> Akeeba Backup -> Backup
Now
Each
Akeeba backup (a version of the website's files data
and sql info) will be created in an archive file with the extension
.jpa
The backup files are created under joomla's website (main) root
directory in directory location
administrator/components/com_akeeba/backup
The Akeeba plugin also has capabilities to recover a (.jpa) backup
restore point easily.
To recover a backup with the Akeeba plugin one needs to do it once
again, via the plugin joomla web interface.
5. Google Analytics (place easy tracking code) in Joomla
a. Download the
Google Analytics Tracking
Module
The module is available from
Joomla Extensions on joomla.org
At the current time of writting you need to download the
analytics_tracking15,zip
file
b. Install the Google Analytics Tracking Module;
Login as joomla
admin and navigate to;
Extensions -> Install
Place the
analytics_tracking15.zip url to the
Install
URL: field.
Again as of time of writting you need to place
http://pc-freak.net/files/analytics_tracking15.zip;
c. Open the Module Manager
Extensions -> Module Manager
d. Click over
Google Analytics Tracking Module
On the right pane you will notice in the
Module Parameters
the
Analytics_uacct_code field. In the uacct_code field you
need to paste your UA obtained from your created google-analytics
account.
This code is usually something like
UA-2101595-10
Now place your code their and press the save green button located
near the right top of the screen. You should see the text in blue
Item Saved which would indicate your UA code is stored
already in the Google Analytics Tracking Module, now press the
Cancel button located again on the right top.
As a last step before the Google analytics is set-up on the Joomla
you need to enable the plugin to do you need to press over the tick
left sided from the text reading
Google Analytics Tracking
Module in the Module Manager
e. Click over the Enabled button in Module Manager;
Google Analytics Tracking Module ->
Enabled
6. Itprism (Facebook, Twitter etc.) Social Network share buttons
Joomla plugin a. to add the itpsocialbuttons to joomla
Download the Itpsocialbuttons latest module files from
http://itprism.com/free-joomla-extensions/social-buttons-plugin
or use my mirrored module files below:
Download
mod_itpsocialbuttons .zip file
Download
plg_itpsocialbuttons .zip
After having the two files necessery to be installed to make the
ITPSocialButtons appear on website, installation is done
like with any other installation:
Extensions -> Install/Uninstall -> Upload Package File
(Choose File)
Next its necessery to configure the plugin to do so, follow to
menus:
Extensions -> Module Manager ->
Share
You will notice the Share dialog in the list of Module Name column
in Module Manager
Here is a screenshot on how the settings options for
ITpsocialbuttons will look like:
The options which I personally changed was:
Show Title - I set this one to No as I wanted to omit the plugin
title text to appear on my website.
Further on I've set the Enabled option to Yes to enable the
plugin and choose the buttons Style option to be of a Small
buttons type.
I've also found that the most suitable position for the Social
Share buttons were to be of a right - Position .
Here is how the social network itprism share buttons looks
like:
The plugin supports sharing of joomla pages to the following list
of social networks:
- Delicios.com
- Digg.com
- Facebook
- Google Bookmarks
- StumbleUpon
- Technorati
- Twitter
- LinkedIn
The module configuration, also allows the user to configure the
type of social network buttons, one wants to display on the
website.
7. Joomla JCE Content Editor This content editor is really
awesome compared to the default editor TinyMCE. If you want to have
an options rich content editor for Joomla, then this is the one for
you :)
download JCE Content Editor here
After installing the JCE Joomla content editor in order to enable
it as a default editor you need to go to the following
location:
Site -> Global Configuration -> Default WYSIWYG
Editor
There place on Editor TinyMCE and change it with Editor - JCE
Now go to edit some article, and you will see the difference in the
editor :)
8. Add gallery Joomla capabilities with sigplus (Image Gallery
Plus) and Very Simple Image Gallery
sigplus Image Gallery Plus is a straightforward way to add image or
photo galleries to a Joomla article with a simple syntax. It takes
a matter of minutes to set up a gallery but those who are looking
for a powerful gallery solution will not be disappointed either:
sigplus is suitable for both beginner and advanced users.
Download Sigplus Joomla Image Gallery plugin here
Using sigllus is quite easy all one has to do is use Joomla Media
Manager from links:
Site -> Media Manager
Create new folder in the stories folder, let's say New Pictures and
further on use Media Manager to upload all desired pictures
to be later displayed.
Being done with uploading the images you want to display, go to
Article Manager :
Content -> Article Manager
From there choose your article where new uploaded pictures you want
to display and type in the article:
{gallery}New Pictures{/gallery}.
Note that New Pictures is the directory just recently
created as stated below, it's important that there is no spacing
between {gallery}and New Pictures, if one tries {gallery} New
Pictures {/gallery} instead of {gallery}New Pictures{/gallery} an
error will occur instead of the pictures being displayed in a
scrolled gallery.
Sigplus Image Gallery has also a number of configuration
options, which might make it look a bit more decent.
I have to say in my view the default way sigplus displays
pictures is awful!
Another alternative if you don't like Sigplus 's way of
creating new galleries is to use Very Simple Image
Gallery
UYou can
download Very simple image gallery here
After installing the plugin. It's use is analogous to the
Sigplus . To use it likewise sigplus create new directory
through Media Manager and in stories and upload your files
in let's say New Pictures1 . Later on in your article place,
the code
{vsig}New Pictures1{/vsig}
Gallery will be generated automatically by the plugin. I think
Simple Image Gallery is a bit more advanced and gives a
better outlook to Galleries, though it's configuration settings are
much less than with SigPlus image gallery.
To add pictures comments e.g. img link alt='' and title=''
tib you need to place a code within the Article manager similar
to:
{vsig_c}0|Picture_1.JPG|Some sample text|Some other
text{/vsig_c}
{vsig_c}0|Picture_2.JPG|Some example text|Some text{/vsig_c}
etc. ..
Note that the 0 in above example specifies the gallery
number if you for instance are using a couple of galleries with
Simple Image Gallery , the first one you used would be call
0 . The text specified as comments to the picture will also
appear after you preview the gallery right below the picture when
clicked on as a picture description in a really nice way.
9. Install Google maps plugin for Joomla
It's a wise idea that every website has a location map on it's
website, for that reason Google maps is just great.
To install Google maps capability to joomla one can use a
plugin called Google Maps .
You can straighly download
Joomla's Googlemap plugin from here
Afterwards use Extension Manager to install the plugin e.g.
follow:
Extensions -&gr; Install/Uninstall (Choose
File)
and click on Upload File & Install button.
To further enable and configure the Joomla Googlemap plugin you
will have to go to the location:
Extensions -> Plugin Manager
Therein you will have to find and enable the Google Maps plugin
which is to be found in the column named Plugin Manager
On my Joomla installation the plugin was located in the second page
with modules, so if you don't find the module on the listing with
modules on the first page, make sure you scroll to the bottom of
the page and click on Next button.
Therein in the list you will most likely notice Google Maps
use the Enable button to enable it.
Next step is to configure the plugin, to do so press on the plugin
name Google Maps
All configuration necessery here is to place Googlemaps API Key in
the respective field (you will see it among config options).
Issuing a new Google Maps api key takes just few seconds, if you
already have a gmail account just go to
http://code.google.com/apis/maps/signup.html and take few
seconds to issue the key.
You will get the key right on your gmail account after being issued
(to repeat myself issuing takes few seconds so no worrier
here).
One more Once having the key place it in the Googlemaps API
Key field and configuring Address (which is one of the list of
many options the plugin provides) you will be done with
configuration.
To display a google map the location you just configured go to the
Article Manager , select the article where you want the
google maps location picture of your address to appear and type in
the Article:
{mosmap|text='Exact street address
location'|zoom='15'|zoomType='Large'|zoomNew='0'}
After you save the article a very nice Google map showing you the
location's streets will appear.
You can further conifgure a number of things related to the google
map to appear, one thing you might want to play with is the zoom
option which as you see in below's code is equal to 15, e.g.
zoom='15'
Set it to another one if you want to regulate your googlemaps zoom
level. For more thoroughful options take a look at the extensive
plugin documentation.
10. Joomla Xmap (generating static HTML sitemap)
Download Xmap from here , install it the usual plugin
way.
Right after installation on the plugin succesful install screen you
will notice the link component menu .
Clicking on the component menu you will be leaded to a page
showing you few links Sitemap's URL :
- XML Sitemap:
- HTML Sitemap:
- News Sitemap:
- Images Sitemap:
11. Add Joomla donate Paypal capabilities with Joomla PAYPAL
DONATION MODULE
Just recently I've written a a post on
how to add a paypal donation capabilities to joomla, you can read
my previous post here
12. Install Joomla RSForms Module (Advanced Joomla Forms
Support)
If you're planning to add a complicated form support for Joomla,
there are plenty of plugins, however one that was suggested by a
friend of mine which is deep in Joomla world and moreover works
good on my joomla installations is
RSForms
Joomla -
RSForms! is free to download and has great and easy
interface to create new joomla forms.
At the time of writting I use these three RSForms components on new
Joomla installations:
RSform Pro 1.1.0 com
Mod RsForm for Joomla 1.5
Mod Rsform list for Joomla
For latest release of
RSForms! use the link
http://www.rsjoomla.com/joomla-components/rsform.html
Installation is like any other module and is done through
Extensions -> Install/Uninstall menu.
After installation, setting up a new form is available from the
Joomla Menus:
Components -> RSform!Pro -> Manage Forms
I would not enter in details on how to edit the default RSForms or
create a new RSForm. Just take some time and learn it by trying
;)
After the rsform is ready, to enable the new form, navigate to
Joomla menus:
Menus -> Main Menu
Press the
New button located in the buttons bar nearby the
page header in the list of options in
Select Menu item Type
you will notice the
RSForm!Pro as an option, press on it to
establish the new form in the menus.
A follow up window will appear where one can set a
Title:
and
Alias: for the new form as well as few other
options.
After finalizing the settings press on
Apply button to save
the settings and the new form should appear in Joomla.
Probably there are many more handy plugins, which I'm missing here
thus I'll be glad if readers suggest some more helpful essential
(must have plugins) for Joomla.
Feedback on this tutorial is very welcome!
Looking forward to hear for your opinions if my article was helpful
to you ;)